About me

Having worked with Sorainen since 1996, I have made it from intern to partner and followed the development of the Estonian legal state right from the start. Today, I co-head the Corporate and M&A and employment law teams of the Estonian office with two partners, and have also served as the regional leader of our Corporate practice. I enjoy facilitating agreements and helping clients achieve their goals. I take great interest in shareholder relations and manager liability issues as well as legal questions stemming from collective and flexible employment relations. I also enjoy working with ESG topics, which have become more and more significant for the corporate world, and I love to help clients to make the world a better place to live.

Due to the generational switch in business and the increase in wealth at individual levels, I have also been involved excessively in family and succession law matters. Additionally, I support the industrial sector group by serving a lot of clients in that sector. Due to Russia’s large-scale war in Ukraine and the general arms race, the defence industry has also increased, where I help as a supporting partner. In 2022, I joined the Estonian Defence League and have since been awarded the rank of corporal. 

Professional highlights

Facilitating positive end results. I have advised some of the largest transactions in the Baltics and occasionally feel content about representing clients in court on questions of principle when I see that it improves the overall business climate. Above all, I enjoy it when an agreement is reached after tough discussions. I like to serve as a mediator for clients so that they can focus on core business. Particularly challenging are situations where shareholders or stakeholders are in a stalemate, and the law does not offer many opportunities to resolve the problem. In such cases, the outcome depends on negotiation skills and an understanding of human psychology. 

Focus on cross-border issues. I specialise in cross-border legal issues and have advised some of the largest cross-border mergers and restructurings in the Baltics. I have also had the privilege to advise several negotiations for collective agreements and strikes. I work most closely with the start-up, forestry and industrial sectors. In addition, I contribute to cross-border research projects, e.g., the Maastricht University project on cross-border corporate mobility in the EU or studies conducted by the World Bank, on the basis of which Estonia is ranked in comparison to other countries. 

Dialogue with legislators. In 2015, I was appointed by the minister of justice to serve on a steering committee that seeks to propose how to make Estonia’s business environment more competitive. In 2017, I was on a team of experts analysing and making proposals with regard to improving insolvency proceedings. I also served on the ministry’s company law review committee, which guided and facilitated the work of the company law review working group in drafting amendments to legislation. I also contribute to shaping the view of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Green Tiger, where our office is a member.

Active in Bar Association. For eight years I chaired the commercial law committee of the Estonian Bar Association, which solicits opinions on the legislative process. In the years 2021-2023, I continued contributing to the work of the committee as a regular member. In 2015, I was honored with the Lawyer of the Year title by the Estonian Bar Association.

An eye on business. I have served as a business advisor and on supervisory boards for several companies and enjoy giving lectures to business people, who always teach me something in return and enlighten me by sharing valuable real-life examples. I often speak up on business issues when I feel that lawmakers need to hear clients’ concerns or that proposed legislation may hurt entrepreneurship. My personal life as an entrepreneur is not limited to being a partner with Sorainen: together with my family, I run the boutique hotel Ööbikuoru Villa (Villa Nightingale) and restaurant Andreas in picturesque Rõuge in Southern Estonia.

Academic background

  • Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), AI tools to optimize the work processes of companies during the digital revolution (micro-degree)
  • Riga Graduate School of Law, Latvia (LLM in International and European Law, with merit)
  • University of Tartu, EuroCollege, Estonia (MA in European Studies)
  • Institute of Law, Estonia (BA in Law)

I am a member of

  • Estonian Bar Association
  • International Bar Association
  • European Employment Lawyers Association
  • Estonian Business and Professional Women’s Organisation